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Ines LaRiva
Ines LaRiva (1948-) was Prime Minister of Spain from 2017 to 2019, succeeding Ana Lozano and preceding Ines Bermudez. LaRiva, a member of the Christian democratic People's Party of Spain, pursued a liberal-conservative agenda which included expanding government programs, reducing tax rates, and opposing the legalization of prostitution. While her policies sparked left-wing protests, she was backed by a left-wing coalition until she decided to step down following embarrassing results in the 2019 general election, after which her successor as PP leader Ines Bermudez became Prime Minister. Biography Ines LaRiva was born in Benavente, Spain in 1948, and she worked as a Catholic school teacher for decades before becoming involved in politics with the PP. In 2014, she was elected a deputy and party leader, and she led her party in a steady growth. In early 2014, she led her party to win 26.47% of the vote and 11 seats, placing third behind Ciudadanos and the PSOE. In 2017, her party won 30.95% of the vote and 13 seats, placing slightly below Ciudadanos, who won 33.25% of the vote and 13 seats as well. In the ensuing leadership election, LaRiva had the support of 24 MPs (all of Podemos, PSOE, and almost all of her own party), defeating Ciudadanos leader Alejandro Riveros, who had 11 votes. Premiership LaRiva and her government failed to abolish the income tax in a vote of 14-18, and the Congress also approved road maintenance programs 16-11. Podemos failed in its attempt to legalize prostitution, which was shot down 29-7. A week later, Spain suffered from a terrorist attack which demoralized the country. A bill to abolish the monarchy failed 32-5, but Podemos successfully spearheaded a 26-13 vote to approve public libraries. Congress narrowly voted 15-14 to decline a gun prohibition bill; Podemos and several PSOE and PP deputies refused to vote due to uncertainty over the bill's success or popularity. The government successfully shot down a land tax in a 21-15 vote, maintained the election threshold in a vote of 26-9, approved a school bus tax 25-11, and abolished the protest prohibition law 38-0. LaRiva's conservative government, which presided over economic growth, enjoyed so much popularity that it increased its support at the next general election. In mid-2018, Ciudadanos was the largest party with 34% of the vote and 14 deputies, followed by the PP with 33.34% and 13 deputies, the PSOE with 26.55% and 11 deputies, and Podemos with 6.11% and 2 seats. In the leadership election, LaRiva won election 25-15, defeating Riveros again. The conservative government approved a housing tax in a vote of 19-14, with Ciudadanos and half of the PSOE opposing its passage. The government ignored a vote on the income tax, leading to a 17-13 vote to abolish it. The government also voted 19-15 to abolish public housing, voted 33-4 to approve an ambulance service, and voted 29-2 to approve free primary education. The ensuing late 2018 general election saw Ciudadanos win 35.44% of the vote and 14 seats, the PP slumped to 30.36% and 12 seats, the PSOE slumped to 25.09% and 10 seats, and Podemos rose to 9.11% and 4 seats. Despite Podemos launching protests against LaRiva's government for its termination of public housing, they backed LaRiva for another term rather than let the neoliberal Ciudadanos rise to power; LaRiva won another mandate in a vote of 21-15. The new parliament voted 31-2 to approve universal healthcare, but they voted 30-6 to maintain the election threshold. The government also voted 18-11 to approve a public smoking ban, voted 20-11 to approve a child benefit program, and voted 17-16 to approve an income tax to pay for the new programs; ironically, most of the opposition came from Ciudadanos and a half of PSOE. The PP abstained from a Podemos bill which would ban guns, and the law failed 16-14 with 10 abstentions. The Congress voted 29-2 to protect plant varieties, voted 33-4 to protect the right to protest, and voted 23-11 against legalizing prostitution. In the mid-2019 general election, Ciudadanos won 35.31% of the vote and 14 seats, PP won 28.39% and 11 seats, PSOE won 24.78% and 10 seats, and Podemos won 11.53% and 5 seats. LaRiva, disappointed by the election results, stepped down as party leader, with Ines Bermudez succeeding her. The ensuing leadership election saw Bermudez defeat Riveros 23-16. Category:1948 births Category:Spanish politicians Category:Spanish Category:Politicians Category:Catholics Category:People's Party of Spain members Category:Spanish conservatives Category:Conservatives Category:Spanish prime ministers Category:Prime ministers